1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an aligning device that is used in aligning alignment objects, such as electronic component elements, in, for example, a process for producing an electronic component, such as a multilayer chip ceramic capacitor or a chip inductor, and also relates to a method for producing an electronic component using the aligning device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, there has been a strong demand for reducing the size, in particular, the thickness (the height) of an electronic chip component. As aligning devices for aligning thin electronic components, for example, an aligning device such as that described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-278153 is proposed.
That is, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-278153 describes a component aligning device including a component aligning jig that is one including a plurality of accommodation recesses formed in a surface thereof. When a target electronic component has a rectangular parallelepiped shape having a length L, a width W, and a thickness T, among outside surfaces of the electronic component, a surface extending along a lengthwise direction and a widthwise direction is defined as a WL surface, a surface extending along the widthwise direction and a thickness direction is defined as a WT surface, and a surface extending along the lengthwise direction and the thickness direction is defined as an LT surface, the component aligning device is configured as follows. That is, in order for one electronic component to be held in the accommodation recess with one of its WT surfaces being a top surface and with part of the electronic component protruding upward from the accommodation recess, an accommodation recess depth Z is less than the length L of the electronic component; and, in seeing the accommodation recess in plan view, if a shortest distance (which is a distance that is between opposing inner peripheral surfaces of the accommodation recess, that is greater than the thickness T, and that is the narrowest interval) is S, the condition W>S>T is satisfied. Refer to, for example, Claim 1 of Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-278153.
In Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-278153, in the accommodation recesses of the component aligning jig, in order to form a first stripe-like space and a second stripe-like space that intersect each other when seen in plan view, a plurality of protrusions that protrude towards the inside of the accommodation recesses from inner side surfaces facing the accommodation recesses of the aligning jig are formed. In addition, when the width of the first stripe-like space and the second stripe-like space is X, the relationship W>X>T is satisfied; and when the length of each stripe-like space is Y, the condition Y>W is satisfied. Refer to, for example, paragraph 0015 of Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-278153.
However, in the component aligning device in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-278153, when an electronic chip component and a gap between an accommodation recess (in which the electronic chip component is accommodated) and the electronic chip component are increased, not only does positional displacement of the electronic chip component tend to occur, but also the electronic chip component tends to tilt. In contrast, when the gap becomes smaller, the electronic chip component cannot be efficiently transferred into the accommodation recess.
Further, as schematically shown in FIG. 13, when, as a result of entry of foreign material 52 into an accommodation recess 51 of a component aligning jig 50, an accommodated electronic chip component 60 protrudes by a large amount and is considerably tilted, a top end portion 60a of the electronic chip component 60 accommodated in the accommodation recess 51 contacts an inner peripheral surface of a through hole 71 of a guide plate 70 disposed at an upper side of the component aligning jig 50. As a result, for example, cracking and chipping tend to occur.